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MISSIONARY 

FURLOUGH 


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BOARD  OF 

MISSIONARY  PREPARATION 


25  MADISON  AVENUE 
NEW  YORK 


) 


THE  BOARD  OF 
MISSIONARY  PREPARATION 


The  Board  of  Missionary  Preparation  for  North  America 
was  created  in  1911  by  the  Foreign  Missions  Conference  of 
North  America  to  make  a thorough  study  of  the  many 
problems  involved  in  adequate  preparation  for  foreign  mis- 
sionary service  in  all  fields.  Its  membership  represents 
Boards  of  Foreign  Missions,  general  as  well  as  candidate 
secretaries,  professors  in  theological  seminaries  and  in 
special  schools  and  departments  for  missionary  training, 
and  others  whose  study  of  the  missionary  enterprise  or  of 
educational  methods  especially  qualifies  them  to  advise. 

The  annual  reports  of  the  Board  are  printed  in  the  annual 
volume  issued  by  the  Foreign  Missions  Conference.  It 
issues  many  pamphlets,  carefully  revised  at  intervals,  on  the 
various  phases  of  missionary  preparation.  These  pamphlets 
are  widely  used  by  Boards  for  the  information  of  their 
foreign  missionary  candidates.  It  is  believed  that  they  meet 
adequately  the  needs  of  such  candidates  for  suggestions 
which  may  help  them  to  make  the  wisest  use  of  their  oppor- 
tunities during  their  college  and  professional  study.  Other 
series  render  the  same  sort  of  helpful  guidance  to  the  young 
missionary  on  the  field  during  the  first  term  of  service  and 
in  anticipation  of  the  first  furlough. 

The  Board  holds  from  time  to  time  conferences  at  which 
those  who  are  responsible  as  administrators  or  as  educators 
for  the  promotion  of  proper  policies  in  missionary  prepara- 
tion are  brought  together  with  missionaries  of  experience 
and  with  specialists  to  unite  in  their  formulation.  The 
reports  of  these  conferences  are  published  by  the  Board. 

The  Board  also  employs  a Director  who  gives  his  entire 
time  to  correlating  and  extending  its  activities.  Candidate 
secretaries  of  Foreign  Mission  Boards,  teachers  in  schools 
which  train  missionary  candidates,  and  others  interested  in 
special  problems  of  missionary  training  are  invited  to  cor- 
respond with  him  at  the  office  of  the  Board  of  Missionary 
Preparation,  25  Madison  Avenue,  New  York  City. 


THE 


MISSIONARY  FURLOUGH 


THE  REPORT  OF  A COMMITTEE  APPOINTED  BY 
THE  BOARD  OF  MISSIONARY  PREPARATION 


Reverend  Stanley  White,  D.D.,  Chairman 
Reverend  William  I.  Chamberlain,  Ph.D. 
Professor  Daniel  J.  Fleming,  Ph.D. 
Reverend  Arthur  R.  Gray,  D.D. 
Reverend  Cornelius  H.  Patton,  D.D. 

S.  Earl  Taylor,  LL.D. 

President  Wilbert  W.  White,  Ph.D. 


BOARD  OF  MISSIONARY  PREPARATION 


25  Madison  Avenue,  New  York  City 


BOARD  OF  MISSIONARY  PREPARATION 


Rev.  W.  B.  Anderson,  D.D. 

Rev.  James  L.  Barton,  D.D. 

Prof.  Harlan  P.  Beach,  D.D. 

Dean  O.  E.  Brown,  D.D. 

Prof.  Ernest  DeWitt  Burton,  D.D. 
Miss  Helen  B.  Calder 
Dean  Edward  W.  Capen,  Ph.D. 

Prof.  W.  O.  Carver,  D.D. 

Rev.  William  I.  Chamberlain,  Ph.D. 
Rev.  George  Drach,  D.D. 

Rev.  James  Endicott,  D.D. 

Prof.  Daniel  J.  Fleming,  Ph.D. 

Rev.  Arthur  R.  Gray,  D.D. 

Miss  Margaret  E.  Hodge 
Pres.  Henry  C.  King,  D.D. 

Prof.  Kenneth  S.  Latourette 
Rev.  James  H.  Lewis 
Prof.  Walter  L.  Lingle,  D.D. 

Rev.  R.  P.  Mackay,  D.D. 

Pres.  Wilbert  W 


Pres.  W.  Douglas  Mackenzie,  D.D. 
Prof.  Paul  Monroe,  Ph.D. 

John  R.  Mott,  LL.D. 

Rev.  Frank  Mason  North,  D.D. 
Prin.  T.  R.  O’Meara,  D.D. 

Pres.  C.  T.  Paul,  Ph.D. 

Rev.  Joseph  C.  Robbins,  D.D. 
Prof.  Henry  B.  Robins,  Ph.D. 

T.  H.  P.  Sailer,  Ph.D. 

Miss  Una  M.  Saunders 
Prof.  E.  D.  Soper,  D.D. 

Robert  E.  Speer,  D.D. 

Mrs.  Hume  R.  Steele 
Pres.  J.  Ross  Stevenson,  D.D. 
Fennell  P.  Turner 
J.  G.  Vaughan,  M.D. 

Prof.  Addie  Grace  Wardle,  Ph.D. 

Robert  P.  Wilder 

Rev.  Stanley  White,  D.D. 

White,  Ph.D. 


Pres.  W.  Douglas  Mackenzie,  D.D.,  Chairman 
Rev.  William  I.  Chamberlain,  Ph.D.,  Vice~Chairman 
Fennell  P.  Turner,  Secretary 

Rev.  Frank  K.  Sanders,  Ph.D.,  Director 
25  Madison  Avenue,  New  York 


PREFACE 


Some  years  ago  a committee,  appointed  by  the  Board  of 
Missionary  Preparation,  of  which  President  Charles  R. 
Watson,  D.D.,  then  the  Secretary  of  the  Board  of  Foreign 
Missions  of  the  United  Presbyterian  Church  of  North 
America,  was  the  chairman,  after  consultation  with  a very 
wide  range  of  missionaries,  prepared  a small  pamphlet 
entitled  “How  Should  a Missionary  Spend  His  Furlough?” 
which  was  published  by  the  Board  of  Missionary  Preparation, 
This  proved  to  be  very  useful  and  went  through  a series  of 
editions. 

The  growing  interest  of  missionaries  and  executives  in 
determining  the  most  helpful  use  of  the  furlough  and  the 
evident  willingness  of  all  concerned,  both  on  the  field  and 
at  home,  to  deal  with  it  in  a truly  scientific  fashion,  led  to  the 
holding  of  a conference  on  the  Most  Profitable  Use  of  the 
Missionary  Furlough,  in  December,  1919.  This  conference, 
which  was  attended  by  a representative  group,  took  as 
the  basis  of  its  discussion  a report  (made  by  a committee 
appointed  by  the  Board  of  IMissionary  Preparation  of  which 
Dr.  Stanley  White,  of  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  in  the  United  States  of  America,  was 
the  chairman)  which  was  in  turn  the  outgrowth  of  a detailed 
questionnaire,  sent  out  to  a large  number  of  representative 
missionaries  and  answered  in  detail  by  an  unusually  large 
percentage  of  those  addressed.  This  conference,  through  its 
ovm  committee,  summed  up  its  conclusions  in  a report  which 
made  a number  of  specific  suggestions  regarding  the  proper 
organization  required,  both  by  mission  Boards  and  by  mis- 
sions in  the  field,  for  dealing  efficiently  with  the  furlough 
problems  of  the  alert  missionary.^  This  report  was  given 
wide  circulation  in  North  America  and  throughout  the 
American  mission  world  early  in  1920.  It  bids  fair  to  achieve 
in  good  measure  the  end  in  view.  The  conference  also 
expressed  the  definite  judgment  that  a thorough  revision  of 

‘ The  report  issued  by  this  conference  is  reproduced  in  an  appendix,  page  29. 


the  previously  issued  pamphlet  regarding  the  furlough  should 
be  undertaken  by  the  committee  of  the  Board  of  Missionary 
Preparation  which  had  submitted  the  above-mentioned 
report  to  the  conference.  In  response  to  this  request  the 
committee  presents  the  following  report,  which  seeks  to 
include  the  valued  suggestions  of  the  early  leaflet,  but  has 
been  wholly  rewritten.  As  in  case  of  the  first  issue  the 
furlough  is  dealt  with  in  broad  fashion,  not  merely  as  it 
relates  to  the  interests  of  the  junior  missionary.  These 
interests  predominate,  but  any  helpful  treatment  of  the 
furlough  question  must  of  necessity  view  the  subject  as  a 
whole.  The  committee  has  spared  no  pains  to  make  the 
report  an  accurate  reflection  of  the  soundest  administrative 
and  missionary  judgment  of  today. 

The  furlough  problem  is  perennially  a fresh  one.  New 
aspects  are  constantly  coming  into  consideration.  It  is  the 
desire  of  the  Board  of  Missionary  Preparation  to  keep  this 
pamphlet  up  to  date.  Any  helpful  suggestions  from  any 
critical  reader  will  at  all  times  be  received  with  appreciation. 
They  should  be  sent  to  the  undersigned. 

Frank  K.  Sanders, 

Director  of  the  Board  of  Missionary  Preparation. 

August,  1921. 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

I,  Introduction 7, 8 

II.  The  Various  Values  of  the  Furlough 8-12 

1.  Physical  reinvigoration 8 

2.  Mental  upbuilding 9 

3.  Spiritual  stimulus 9 

4.  Contact  with  the  homeland 10 

5.  The  cultivation  of  the  churches  at  home 10 

6.  Co-operation  with  the  mission  Board 11 

7.  The  maintenance  of  a perspective 11 

8.  Other  values 11 

III.  Preparation  for  the  Furlough 12-14 

1.  Preparation  for  the  first  furlough 12 

2.  Preparation  for  later  furloughs 14 

IV.  General  Questions  Relating  to  the  Missionary 

Furlough 14-19 

1.  Its  frequency 14 

2.  Its  length 15 

3.  The  allowance  while  at  home 16 

4.  The  distribution  of  time 18 

5.  The  missionary’s  location 19 

V.  The  Administrative  Machinery  Needed 20-22 

1.  Furlough  administration  on  the  field 20 

2.  Furlough  administration  at  home 20 

3.  The  advisory  service  of  the  Board  of  Mission- 

ary Preparation 21 

VI.  The  Practical  Management  of  the  Missionary  Fur- 
lough   22-25 

1.  The  assurance  of  physical  well-being 22 

2.  Ways  of  mental  energizing 23 

3.  The  obtaining  of  spiritual  stimulus 24 

4.  The  acquiring  of  practical  experience 24 


PAGE 


VII.  The  Contributions  of  the  Missionary  Furlough  to  the 


Missionary  Enterprise 25-27 

1.  The  cultivation  of  the  home  church 25 

2.  The  magnifying  of  the  cause  of  missions 26 

3.  The  promotion  of  international  friendship 26 

4.  The  wise  formulation  of  missionary  policy. ...  27 

VIII.  Conclusion 28 


Appendix  I.  The  Findings  of  the  Conference  on  the  Most 

Profitable  Use  of  the  Missionary  Furlough  29,  30 

Appendix  II.  Practical  Suggestions  for  a Furlough  Calendar  31 

Appendix  III.  Suggestions  Regarding  Deputation  Service  31 


THE  MISSIONARY  FURLOUGH 

I.  Introduction 

The  importance  of  the  furlough  in  relation  to  missionary 
efficiency  cannot  be  overstated.  The  total  number  of  foreign 
missionaries  supported  by  North  American  Boards  and 
Societies  in  1921  is  well  above  eleven  thousand.  With  the 
increasing  frequency  of  furloughs  deemed  wise  under  modem 
missionary  administration,  and  taking  into  account  the  great 
enlargement  of  missionary  forces  called  for  at  the  present 
time,  it  is  fully  within  bounds  to  say  that  not  less  than 
twenty-five  hundred  missionaries  will  soon  be  coming 
annually  to  their  North  American  homeland  for  regular 
furloughs.  Inasmuch  as  the  full  period  of  absence  from  the 
field  requires,  as  a rule,  about  fifteen  months,  an  attempt  to 
secure  the  wisest  possible  use  of  the  missionary  furlough 
takes  into  consideration,  each  year,  some  three  thousand 
years  of  North  American  missionary  time,  which  means  an 
investment  of  more  than  a million  dollars.  Were  the  Prot- 
estant foreign  missionaries  of  the  whole  world  included  within 
the  survey,  these  figures,  startling  as  they  are,  would  be 
multiplied  threefold.  The  effective  spending  of  all  this 
potential  energy  and  of  all  this  money  justifies  the  most 
painstaking  planning  on  the  part  of  Boards,  of  missions  and 
of  missionaries. 

The  scientific  use  of  the  missionary  furlough  has  never 
been  adequately  considered.  Its  proper  adjustments  must 
grow  out  of  the  rich  experience  of  missionaries,  modified  and 
interpreted  in  the  light  of  the  new  problems  which  contin- 
ually face  the  mission  enterprise.  In  former  days  the  prin- 
cipal objectives  of  the  furlough  were  the  maintenance  of  the 
health  of  the  missionary,  his  possible  contribution  to  the 
education  of  the  churches  of  his  communion  and  the  raising 
of  its  missionary  budget.  Today,  emphasis  is  being  given 
more  and  more,  in  addition,  to  the  bearing  of  the  furlough 
opportunity  on  the  adequate  preparation  of  the  missionary 
to  deal  with  his  ever-broadening  task. 

7 


8 


THE  MISSIONARY  FURLOUGH 


The  tragedy  of  the  furlough  question  lies  in  the  fact  that 
even  at  the  present  time  many  missionaries  are  prevented  by 
meagre  resources,  by  strong  family  or  local  ties,  by  denomi- 
national financing  or  campaigning,  or  by  other  reasons, 
equally  commanding  yet  not  wholly  defensible,  from  gaining 
the  values  which  the  furlough  ought  to  have  for  one  who  has 
been  spending  his  energy  without  stint  for  a term  of  burdened 
and  anxious  years  on  the  field.  Too  many  missionaries  are 
obliged  under  existing  conditions  to  spend  their  furloughs 
in  tasks  which  bid  defiance  to  the  proper  ideals  of  a furlough. 
The  way  out  would  seem  to  be  a better  organization  of 
furlough  conditions  which  will  fix  the  responsibility  for  their 
betterment  with  some  definiteness. 

II.  The  Various  Values  of  the  Furlough 

No  two  missionaries  are  exactly  alike,  in  their  needs  or  in 
the  conditions  which  surround  them.  No  formulation  of 
values  can  ever  be  made  which  will  fit  the  case  of  each  indi- 
vidual missionary.  It  is  possible,  however,  by  drawing  on 
instructive  missionary  experience  to  indicate  the  principal 
purposes  which  a missionary’s  furlough  ought  to  fulfill. 

1.  Physical  Reinvig oration.  — A prime  asset  of  the  mis- 
sionary is  physical  well-being.  Without  good  health  no 
adequate  service  can  be  rendered  anywhere.  He  and  his 
Board  should  aim  to  make  each  furlough  contribute  to  the 
maintenance  of  vigorous  bodily  health.  This  should  involve 
a regular  medical  inspection  on  the  field  during  periods  of 
service  in  order  to  guard  against  the  breaking  down  of 
health.  It  certainly  should  involve  thorough  medical  exami- 
nations, at  the  direction  and  expense  of  the  Board,  by  a 
disinterested  expert,  at  the  very  outset  of  each  furlough,  to 
serve  the  Board  as  a guide  to  the  detailed  treatment  needed 
to  restore  or  to  enhance  the  physical  well-being  of  the 
missionary  and  of  his  family.  Such  expenditures  are  regarded 
by  all  Boards  as  economical.  They  keep  the  missionary  at 
his  best.  Aside  from  medical  treatment,  however,  it  is  clear 
that  an  important  value  of  the  regular  furlough  to  the  mis- 
sionary will  be  found  in  a relaxation  from  the  responsibility 
that  work  on  the  field  always  involves.  This  is  found  in 


THE  MISSIONARY  FURLOUGH 


9 


small  measure  in  the  comparative  leisure  of  the  voyage  to  and 
from  the  field,  but  notably  in  the  entire  change  of  climate, 
surroundings  and  interests  enjoyed  during  the  furlough. 

2.  Mental  Upbuilding.  — Every  missionary  realizes  his 
need  of  a fresh  mental  stimulus  and  returns  to  his  homeland 
keenly  desirous  of  obtaining  it.  The  junior  missionary, 
returning  home  for  his  first  furlough,  feels  this  to  a pre- 
eminent degree.  He  may  well  look  upon  the  first  furlough 
as  being  really  the  conclusion  of  his  long  course  of  thoughtful 
preparation  for  missionary  efficiency,  utilizing  it,  so  far  as 
conditions  permit,  as  an  educational  opportunity.  Much  of 
the  advance  of  recent  days  in  missionary  statesmanship  has 
concerned  itself  with  the  furnishing  of  proper  educational 
opportunities  for  those  missionaries  who  realize  their  needs. 
Such  opportunities  are  as  truly,  if  not  quite  so  obviously, 
needed  for  other  classes  of  missionaries  as  for  the  medical 
missionary  or  for  the  teacher.  Every  missionary,  in  order 
to  be  fitted  to  grip  his  ovm  responsibilities  afresh,  and  to 
broaden  his  vision  of  the  missionary  program,  needs  to  meet 
a new  group  of  minds,  to  be  confronted  with  other  problems 
than  his  own,  and  to  realize  how  his  homeland  has  moved 
along  since  his  last  contact  with  it. 

3.  Spiritual  Stimulus.  — No  missionary  fails  to  crave  the 
opportunity  to  make  his  furlough  count  in  gaining  a fresh 
intellectual  and  spiritual  \’iewpoint,  or  a clearer  apprehension 
of  many  of  the  rehgious  problems  -which  he  may  have  had  to 
face  in  his  public  ministry  or  in  private  interviews.  The 
pri-^dlege  of  sharing  in  the  stimulus  of  a summer  conference, 
of  a pastor’s  retreat  or  of  a summer  school  is  very  highly 
valued.  Even  more  precious  may  be  the  joy  of  sharing  once 
more  in  the  regular  services  of  a congregation  at  home  and 
of  standing  side  by  side  -with  those  at  home  who  have  not 
been  able  to  go  out  to  the  mission  field,  yet  are  in  full  and 
rich  sjunpathy  -with  those  who  have  gone.  Such  experiences 
in  fellowship  send  the  true  missionary  back  to  his  task  with 
renewed  confidence,  greater  hopefulness,  added  zeal,  and 
with  a deeper  appreciation  of  the  value  of  such  fellowship 
to  the  national  Christians  and  churches  of  his  field. 


10 


THE  MISSIONARY  FURLOUGH 


4.  Contact  with  the  Homeland.  — An  earnest  missionary 
is  in  a very  real  sense  in  danger  of  expatriation.  His  real 
home  is  where  he  does  his  work.  His  adopted  country  has 
come  to  absorb  his  first  and  best  thoughts.  He  may  not 
realize  this  until  after  his  first  furlough,  but  it  is  true. 
A veteran  missionary  needs  a furlough  home,  in  order  that 
he  may  not  lose  an  essential  social  contact  with  his  home 
base.  He  needs  not  merely  to  renew  family  ties,  to  continue 
old  friendships  and  to  make  new  affiliations,  but  to  come 
into  fresh  contact  with  his  own  Board,  its  officers,  and  its 
constituents,  and  to  renew  his  relationship  with  his  homeland 
and  its  growing,  changing  interests.  The  more  thoroughly 
he  comprehends  his  own  and  his  adopted  people,  the  better 
able  he  will  be  to  act  effectively  as  a medium  of  mutual 
understanding,  thus  rendering  a genuine  international 
service.  He  who  is  to  render  such  service,  however, 
must  not  get  too  far  away  from  the  interests  of  his  home 
people. 

5.  The  Cultivation  of  the  Churches  at  Home.  — Every  mis- 
sionary, however  young,  needs  to  renew  an  intimate  con- 
nection with  the  group  of  churches  which  he  represents. 
Moreover,  junior  missionaries  have  a recognized  value  in 
reaching  with  their  stirring  messages  the  hearts  of  young 
people.  Yet  it  is  particularly  the  privilege  of  the  older 
missionary,  returning  for  his  third  or  fourth  furlough  and 
speaking  with  the  authority  of  experience,  to  assist  in 
cultivating  the  general  interest  of  these  churches  in  the 
missionary  enterprise  and  to  clarify  their  thinking  regarding 
his  own  particular  field  and  its  outstanding  problems.  More 
and  more,  such  capable  missionaries,  through  the  co-oper- 
ative organization  of  mission  interests  on  the  home  field,  are 
being  enabled  to  serve  a very  wide  range  of  Christian 
interests  through  their  public  addresses,  their  private  inter- 
views, their  printed  articles  and  through  their  services  in 
campaigns  and  at  conventions.  The  thoughtful  maintenance 
of  a proper  balance  between  the  public  service  of  a missionary 
and  his  personal  growth  in  power  and  resourcefulness  is  a 
matter  for  constant  consideration. 


THE  MISSIONAET  FURLOUGH 


11 


6.  Co-operation  With  the  Mission  Board.  — Similarly,  the 
furlough  ought  to  be  the  opportunity  of  the  missionary, 
habitually  welcomed  and  questioned  by  the  officers  and 
managers  of  his  Board,  to  bring  to  them  well-studied,  first- 
hand information  regarding  his  particular  field,  to  advise 
with  them,  and  with  the  special  committee  on  that  field, 
when  one  exists,  regarding  the  program  which  should  be 
promoted  and  the  methods  of  attack  commensurate  with 
its  problems,  and  to  co-operate  with  the  home  secretaries 
in  the  discovery  of  candidates. 

7.  The  Maintenance  of  a Perspective.  — The  busy  mis- 
sionary lives  a day  at  a time.  He  is  dangerously  prone  to 
absorption  in  the  interests  of  his  small  district  or  of  his 
country.  He  is  cramped  by  innumerable  petty  details, 
narrow  streets,  unresponsive  people,  sometimes  by  a hostile 
or  depressing  atmosphere.  An  occasional  furlough  will  help 
him  to  see  his  missionary  area  as  a whole  and  to  evaluate  it 
continentally  and  internationally.  Set  free  from  the  engross- 
ing claims  of  his  station,  or  of  his  department  of  work,  or  of 
his  immediate  task,  he  will  be  able  to  survey  dispassionately 
the  years  of  his  own  active  service,  to  view  his  mission  in 
its  relationship  to  the  whole  work  of  his  Board  and  the  work 
of  his  denomination  as  compared  with  that  of  others.  He 
will  be  able  better  to  estimate  the  real  influence  of  Christian 
teaching  and  life  on  his  adopted  people.  Such  perspectives 
are  of  the  highest  value  to  the  thoughtful  student  of  the 
whole  enterprise  of  missions.  They  enable  the  missionary 
to  return  to  his  own  absorbing  task  with  fresh  energy  and 
with  renewed  enthusiasm  and  to  estimate  it  in  its  relation- 
ships to  all  other  important  tasks  or  movements. 

8.  Other  Values.  — A furlough  has  many  additional  values 
for  the  active,  thoughtful,  alert  missionary.  Each  one  has 
his  own  method  of  utilizing  his  free  time,  some  seeking  to 
gain  through  observation  a knowledge  of  successful  methods 
of  church  management,  or  of  social  service,  or  of  evangeli- 
zation. Others  study  progress  along  strictly  professional 
lines.  Still  others  enjoy  denominational  and  interdenomina- 
tional service.  Very  many  find  opportunity,  particularly  in 


12 


THE  MISSIONARY  FURLOUGH 


these  days,  for  molding  public  opinion  on  the  platform  and 
through  the  pubhc  press.  There  are  always  a few  whose 
physical  weakness  compels  them  to  be  inactive.  N o unchange- 
able practice  can  be  laid  down. 

III.  Preparation  for  the  Furlough 

One  very  important  reason  for  past  failures  to  use  the 
missionary  furlough  to  its  best  advantage  has  been  a lack  of 
preliminary  planning.  Furlough  efficiency  involves  much 
thoughtful  adjustment.  The  date  of  arrival  in  the  homeland 
is  often  too  late  for  the  wisest  allotment  of  furlough  time 
and  opportunity.  It  should,  rather,  be  the  time  for  a final 
judgment  with  regard  to  arrangements  which  have  been 
given  some  previous  consideration. 

1.  Preparation  for  the  First  Furlough.  — The  first  mission- 
ary furlough  is  probably  the  most  important  one  of  all  to  the 
missionary.  It  affords  an  opportunity  for  self-measurement, 
for  specific  adjustment  to  a long  and  active  future,  and  for 
the  thoughtful  conclusion  of  the  long  course  of  preparation. 
Later  furloughs  will  prove  more  valuable  for  deputation 
work  because  of  the  added  field  experience;  but  missionary 
administrators  have  practically  agreed  that  the  predomi- 
nating objective  of  the  first  furlough  should  be  educational 
opportunity. 

In  order  to  make  the  most  of  this  opportunity  every  junior 
missionary  should  begin  months  in  advance,  as  his  busy  life 
affords  opportunity,  to  plan  for  the  furlough.  During  the 
first  term  on  the  field  he  should  have  gained  an  ability  to  use 
the  vernacular  of  his  district  or  area,  a real  acquaintance 
with  its  people,  their  history  and  their  ways,  and  a thorough 
introduction  to  the  responsibilities  of  mission  fife.  Each 
young  missionary  looking  forward  to  a fife  of  grave  respon- 
sibility needs  to  determine  as  wisely  as  possible  his  or  her 
fines  of  special  usefulness.  Such  a determination  will  nor- 
mally rest  on  the  judgment  of  the  missionary  community 
even  more  than  on  that  of  the  individual  missionary.  It  is 
highly  desirable  that  each  missionary  unit  on  the  field 
develop  some  special  means  of  studying  each  one  of  its 


THE  MISSIONARY  FURLOUGH 


13 


junior  missionaries  during  this  first  term  of  service  with  a 
view  of  assisting  in  such  a judgments  It  goes  without  saying 
that  any  such  plan  should  receive  the  approval  of  those  to 
whom  it  is  to  apply  and  should  be  managed  with  scrupulous 
friendliness  and  fairness. 

Once  made,  this  judgment  may  indicate  the  line  of  special 
study  which  the  young  missionary  should  undertake  during 
the  first  furlough.  On  the  other  hand,  the  furlough  may  be 
needed  even  more  definitely  for  meeting  some  deficiency  in 
preparation  gradually  realized  by  the  missionary.  Any  clear 
apprehension  of  specific  need  which  approves  itself  to  the 
missionary  and  to  his  associates  on  the  field  is  likely  to  be 
approved  by  the  Board  at  home. 

One  of  the  truly  significant  movements  of  our  own  time 
in  missionary  education  is  the  increase  in  candidates  who 
have  speciahzed  along  particular  fines.  This  development  is 
the  natural  outcome  of  new  educational  and  missionary 
ideals.  All  the  home  colleges  are  encouraging  their  students 
to  specialize.  These  students  come  to  mission  Boards  with 
a very  real  sense  that  the  best  they  have  to  give  to  the  service 
of  God  on  the  mission  field  is  embodied  in  those  capacities 
which  they  have  thus  begun  to  develop.  There  is  a corre- 
sponding condition  on  the  field  which  creates  a demand  for 
specialized  training  during  the  furlough.  The  furlough  serves 
a double  purpose  in  such  cases:  it  enables  the  narrowly 
trained  specialist  to  generalize  and  the  man  of  general 
training  to  develop  some  single  capacity. 

Young  people  who  are  going  to  the  field  for  the  first  time 
are  rarely  able  to  determine  the  fines  along  which  they  will 
work  to  best  advantage  during  a long  future.  The  first  term 
of  service  will  often  reveal  capacities,  sometimes  unsuspected, 
and  will  suggest  a wise  fine  of  specialization  to  be  undertaken  ’ 
dming  the  first  furlough,  which  will  fit  the  recipient  for 
leadership  of  the  mission  in  some  special  capacity.  Such 
leadership  may,  of  course,  be  incidental  to  the  continuance 
of  established  responsibilities.  There  is  involved  in  all  this 
some  change  in  the  present  regulations,  so  that  young  people 
who  have  specialized  for  a particular  task  may  have  reason- 
1 See  further,  page  20. 


14 


THE  MISSIONARY  FURLOUGH 


able  assurance  that,  when  they  return  to  the  field,  they  will 
be  given  the  opportunity  to  do  the  work  for  which  they 
have  prepared.  Such  a procedure  becomes  more  certain 
when  a mission  develops  the  plan  of  friendly  co-operation 
referred  to  above. 

2.  Preparation  for  Later  Furloughs  — With  growing  expe- 
rience the  missionary  may  regard  himself  as  being  in  need  of 
physical  recreation  and  of  a general  stimulus,  rather  than  of 
some  specific  fine  of  long  continued  study.  It  will  none  the 
less  be  worth  his  while  to  plan  his  later  furloughs  with  some 
definiteness  and  so  as  to  include  some  real  study.  One  mis- 
sionary reports  the  habit  of  beginning,  months  in  advance 
of  his  date  of  starting  homeward,  a furlough  notebook  for 
the  collection  of  suggestions  to  be  realized  during  the 
anticipated  furlough.  It  is  increasingly  possible  during  a 
year  at  home  to  utilize  at  least  the  brief  term  of  a summer 
school  in  obtaining  a fresh  command  of  resources  and  in 
renewing  an  acquaintance  with  old  studies  from  a point  of 
view  that  is  fresh.  The  more  clearly  the  veteran  missionary 
has  certain  definite  purposes  in  mind,  whatever  their  char- 
acter, the  more  hkely  he  is  to  achieve  them. 

IV.  General  Questions  Relating  to  the 
y Missionary  Furlough 

1.  Its  Frequency.  — In  the  early  decades  of  the  missionary 
enterprise,  furloughs,  though  not  unknown,  were  relatively 
rare.  As  conditions  of  travel  improved  they  came  to  be 
planned  at  ten  year  intervals.  Gradually  the  length  of 
standard  terms  of  service  in  the  field  has  been  reduced  until 
today,  for  mission  fields  lying  within  the  temperate  zone 
and  offering  reasonable  vacational  privileges,  a period  of 
seven  years  has  been  recognized  as  the  average  furlough 
term,  while  for  fields  lying  within  the  tropics  or  in  countries 
presenting  conditions  of  unusual  hazard  and  strain,  the  term 
has  been  placed  at  from  five  to  three  years.  Some  Boards 
shorten  these  standard  periods  slightly  for  unmarried  women. 
Several  of  them  permit  a missionary  to  choose  a short 
furlough  of  six  months  at  home  after  four  years  of  service 
in  place  of  a whole  year  at  home  after  seven  years  of  service. 


THE  MISSIONAEY  FURLOUGH 


15 


The  chief  disadvantage  of  this  last  mentioned  arrangement 
is  that  so  short  a furlough  is  often  only  usable  for  physical 
rest.  It  is  hardly  fair,  however,  to  base  a furlough  poUcy  on 
so  narrow  a purpose.  The  missionary  has  a right  to  have  a 
furlough  which  may  be  used  predominantly  for  self-improve- 
ment. 

The  period  most  in  debate  is  the  first  period  on  the  field. 
Many  wise  missionaries  believe  that  seven  years  makes  too 
long  a period  for  the  average  jimior  missionary,  and  that  a 
period  of  five  years,  as  the  first  term  on  the  field,  is  preferable. 
Within  five  years  the  missionary  worth  keeping  on  the  field 
should  have  acquired  the  experience  essential  for  that 
period  and  should  have  attained  a sufficient  grasp  of  the 
language  to  prevent  serious  loss  of  facility  through  a year’s 
absence.  He  is  in  some  danger  of  growing  stale  and  unpro- 
ductive, because  of  the  strains  of  the  first  years.  A furlough 
for  study  fits  into  actual  needs  and,  as  a rule,  returns  the 
young  missionary  to  the  field  with  true  eagerness,  with 
renewed  enthusiasm,  and  with  a deepened  impression  of  the 
meaning  and  the  worth  of  his  own  task. 

2.  Its  Length.  — The  prevailing  judgment  in  regard  to 
the  length  of  the  average  furlough  varies  between  twelve  and 
fifteen  months.  The  latter  estimate  usually  covers  two 
summers  at  home  and  the  corresponding  avoidance  of  two 
trying  seasons  on  the  field,  when  the  work  is  at  a minimum. 
There  are  those  who  advocate  more  frequent  and  shorter 
furloughs,  where  the  expense  of  travel  is  not  too  great,  in 
order  to  relieve  the  mission  in  the  field  from  the  necessity 
of  furnishing  a substitute  to  look  after  the  missionary’s  work 
and  to  enable  the  missionary  on  furlough  to  avoid  the  burden 
of  setting  up  housekeeping.  Such  shorter  furloughs  may  be 
advantageous  for  the  veteran  missionary,  where  feasible, 
but  they  lessen  greatly  the  opportunity  for  definite  study  or 
for  extensive  participa,tion  in  deputations  or  campaigns  at 
home.  All  furloughs  should  vary  in  length  in  accordance 
with  the  time  taken  by  the  Board  for  its  purposes,  several 
months,  at  least,  being  allowed  for  strictly  personal  use. 
The  general  consensus  of  opinion  seems  to  be  that  the 


16 


THE  MISSIONARY  FURLOUGH 


standardized  practice  is  thoroughly  wise,  but  that  departures 
from  it  should  be  always  permissible  for  specific  reasons. 
For  missionaries  to  tropical,  debiUtating  regions  furlough 
arrangements  have  to  be  adjustable. 

3.  The  Allowance  While  at  Home.  — The  question  of  a 
proper  allowance  to  missionaries  on  furlough  deserves 
thoughtful  consideration  by  every  mission  Board.  Not  alone 
has  there  been  a marked  increase  in  hving  costs  of  every 
sort  in  recent  years,  applying  particularly  to  the  conditions 
amid  which  the  missionary  and  his  family  must  live,  but 
also  there  are  expenditures,  often  quite  essential,  which  are 
sometimes  overlooked.  On  the  field  a home  is  provided  for 
the  missionary;  during  the  furlough  a house  or  a fair  rooming 
allowance  is  equally  necessary.  Some  Boards  suspend  a 
missionarj^’s  salary  while  he  is  travelling  from  or  to  the 
home  base,  yet  make  no  personal  grant  beyond  a carefully 
audited  expense  allowance  for  that  period  of  travel.  This 
arrangement  affords  a missionary  family  very  shght  oppor- 
tunity for  any  unauthorized  pleasure  or  profit.  Many 
Boards  begin  to  pay  the  furlough  allowance  at  the  end  of 
the  month  to  which  it  applies,  placing  the  missionary  some- 
times in  an  embarrassing  and  almost  chronic  condition  of 
indebtedness.  Few  missionaries  on  furlough  are  granted, 
as  a matter  of  course,  a small  miscellaneous  allowance  to 
cover  such  minor  expenses  as  the  postage,  stationery  and 
telegrams  demanded  by  efficiency  in  promotion.  Few  of 
them  feel  able  to  buy  coveted  books  and  magazines  or 
to  attend  lectures  and  concerts.  Yet  these  matters  are 
important. 

Freedom  from  worry  and  an  abihty  to  share,  on  a self- 
respecting  basis,  in  the  life  of  the  home  community  entered 
are  very  essential  factors  in  the  usefulness  of  each  furlough. 
Many  missionaries  worry  so  much  that  they  fail  to  recuperate 
properly.  They  feel  unable  to  attend  inspirational  meetings, 
or  to  undertake  educational  courses,  because  of  the  added 
expense.  Such  inability  bears  very  heavily  on  the  wife  and 
mother.  These  restrictions  are  both  unwise  and  unjust. 
A missionary  occasionally  goes  back  to  his  field  with  debts 


THE  MISSIONARY  FURLOUGH 


17 


incurred,  because  his  Board  has  refused  to  face  his  necessary 
outlays.  One  whose  name  is  honored  in  missionary  circles 
once  declared  that  his  first  fmiough  cost  him  almost  twice 
his  allowance,  and  the  second  one  almost  four  times  as  much. 
Most  Boards  have  already  concluded  that  the  furlough 
allowance  should  be  determined  on  the  basis  of  the  reason- 
able expense  of  travel,  of  fife  at  home  and  of  proper  oppor- 
tunity. The  furlough  is  not  a period  of  inaction  but  of 
change.  The  allowance  should  afford  that  change  without 
any  assumption  of  debt. 

In  case  of  those  who  are  pursuing  special  studies  a Board 
should  provide  for  necessary  tuition  fees,  if  these  are  not 
remitted  by  the  institution.  It  should  likewise  provide  for 
railroad  travel,  especially  if  some  distant  institution  is 
selected  after  consultation  with  the  Board.  Possibly  the 
furlough  organization  of  each  Board  should  deal  with  each 
case  separately  and  provide  for  all  such  expenses  connected 
with  these  studies  as  are  found  to  be  in  excess  of  the  mis- 
sionary’s normal  furlough  expenses,  providing,  of  course, 
that  the  missionary  finds  himself  unable  to  meet  these 
expenses  and  pro\dding  the  Board  approved  of  them  before 
they  were  incurred.  Among  the  arguments  by  which  a 
Board  can  justify  such  expenditures  are:  (a)  These  studies 
aim  to  increase  the  missionary’s  efficiency  in  the  work  of 
the  Church.  (6)  Lacking  such  help  from  the  Board  the 
missionary  must  go  back  to  his  field  imperfectly  equipped, 
(c)  The  conditions  of  the  mission  field  and  of  the  missionary’s 
life  abroad  place  hmitations  upon  him,  even  when  they 
become  a general  stimulus  to  his  whole  personal  development, 
which  make  him  desire  such  training  as  can  be  available 
only  at  home,  (d)  Sober  business  judgment  justifies  such 
investments,  (e)  The  missionary  force  on  the  field  regards 
such  expenditure  as  imperative. 

There  are,  of  course,  not  a few  missionaries  who  are  able, 
through  their  families,  or  by  reason  of  private  means,  to 
provide  for  these  special  expenditures.  It  is  their  privilege 
and  their  duty  to  do  this.  Such  cases  are  exceptional.  Most 
missionaries  must  look  to  their  Boards  for  the  training 
needed. 


18 


THE  MISSIONARY  FURLOUGH 


4.  The  Distribution  of  Time.  — No  definite  rule  can  be 
framed  for  the  distribution  of  the  missionary’s  furlough  time. 
This  must  vary  with  the  individual.  Every  missionary, 
however,  should  have  an  idea  of  the  way  in  which  he  would 
like  to  distribute  that  time,  and  every  department  or  com- 
mittee to  which  is  assigned  the  important  responsibility  of 
furlough  management  should  give  it  generous  and  serious 
consideration.  The  primary  requirement  of  the  missionary 
is  a period  of  rest  and  recreation,  presumably  among  friends. 
No  serious  work  should  be  undertaken  immediately  upon 
arriving  in  America.  Those  who  are  not  unduly  debilitated 
will  profit  more  by  one  month  at  a good  sanitarium,  or  at 
an  out-door  camp  of  some  sort,  than  by  three  or  four  months 
of  ordinary  visiting,  which  always  involves  excitement  and 
extra  strain.  Those  who  have  children  at  school  in  the  home- 
land should  have  an  opportunity  to  spend  a month  or  so 
with  them  alone,  so  that  the  family  unity  may  be  maintained. 

Quite  as  important  as  the  initial  period  of  rest  should  be 
another  similar  period  just  before  returning  to  the  field. 
It  is  unwise  for  a missionary  to  plunge  into  the  active  respon- 
sibility of  the  field  directly  after  a period  of  strenuous 
activity  at  home.  The  voyage  should  be  helpful  physically, 
but,  according  to  the  best  medical  opinion,  it  is  insuflScient 
for  the  adequate  restoration  of  energy.  Those  affected  by 
seasickness  particularly  require  the  rest. 

These  periods  of  physical  recreation  at  either  end  of  the 
furlough  allow  ample  time  between  for  the  achievement  of 
the  purposes  which  are  close  to  the  heart  of  the  missionary 
and  of  those  about  him.  The  young  missionary  in  his  first 
furlough  ought  to  have  eight  or  nine  months  for  study,  for 
the  simple  reason  that  such  courses  as  he  needs  are  planned, 
as  a rule,  to  run  through  an  academic  year.  Such  d young 
missionary  will  have  a reasonable  amount  of  time  during 
those  months  to  preach  or  speak,  while  making  his  studies 
his  principal  objective.  Educational  and  medical  mission- 
aries and  other  specialists  will  need  some  months  at  least 
during  each  furlough  for  observation  and  training.  Veteran 
missionaries  will  not,  as  a rule,  require  any  such  amount  of 
time  for  study,  unless  they  are  seeking  to  acquire  the  mastery 


THE  MISSIONARY  FURLOUGH 


19 


of  some  highly  specialized  subject,  although  they  of  all  men 
need  to  keep  abreast  of  progress.  A summer  term  at  some 
university  or  at  a first-rate  summer  school,  when  the  longer 
residence  at  a standard  institution  is  not  feasible,  will 
usually  afford  them  the  intellectual  opportunity  they  crave, 
leaving  considerable  time  for  the  administrative  forces  to 
use  in  introducing  the  missionary  to  his  Church  and,  through 
him,  the  churches  to  his  field.  The  necessary  adjustments  of 
the  dates  of  arrival  and  departure  are  not  difficult  to  arrange. 

5,  The  Missionary’s  Location.  — Most  missionary  fur- 
loughs are  spent  in  the  home  country.  To  an  increasing 
extent  the  missionaries  who  are  thinking  in  terms  of  the 
whole  missionary  problem  of  their  adopted  people  are,  with 
the  approval  of  the  Boards,  broadening  their  perspective 
and  adding  to  their  strength  by  visiting  other  countries  along 
the  route  of  travel  in  order  to  study  their  special  problems 
and  to  meet  their  leaders.  In  the  future,  as  in  the  past,  a 
certain  few  will  find  it  profitable  to  make  an  extended  stay 
in  Europe  for  purposes  of  study  of  this  sort. 

The  location  of  the  missionary  at  home  has  usually  been 
determined  by  his  desire  to  be  near  relatives,  or  to  provide 
educational  advantages  for  his  children,  to  live  economically, 
or  to  have  special  opportunities  for  study.  The  tendency  to 
make  provision  at  first-rate  educational  and  social  centers, 
whereby  missionary  families  can  live  together  for  a year  at 
a reasonable  expense,  and  the  movement  toward  the  provi- 
sion at  university  centers  of  accommodations  which  enable 
missionaries  to  enjoy  educational  advantages  without 
undue  expense  are  to  be  heartily  commended  ^ and  should 
be  multiphed.  The  whole  question  of  location  is  of  very  great 
importance  to  the  missionary  on  furlough.  The  wrong 
location  may  render  the  furlough  quite  unprofitable.  The 
friendly  counsel  and  co-operation  of  each  mission  Board  may 
be  highly  serviceable  to  the  missionary  in  this  particular. 


‘ For  interdenominational  or  non-denominational  opportunities  of  this 
sort  the  Director  of  the  Board  of  Missionary  Preparation,  25  Madison  Avenue, 
New  York  City,  may  be  consulted. 


20 


THE  MISSIONARY  FURLOUGH 


V.  The  Administrative  Machinery  Needed 

It  will  be  perfectly  clear  that  the  furlough  cannot  manage 
itself  nor  can  the  missionary  be  held  responsible  for  its 
efficiency.  The  problem  of  the  wise  use  of  the  furlough  is 
properly  an  administrative  problem,  both  on  the  field  and 
at  home,  deserving  and  demanding  a more  thoughtful 
attention  than  has  hitherto  been  given  to  it. 

1.  Furlough  Administration  on  the  Field.  — The  valuable 
conference  held  December,  1919,  in  New  York  City,  on 
“The  Most  Profitable  Use  of  the  Missionary  Furlough,” 
made  specific  recommendations  regarding  the  best  method 
of  assisting  the  missionary  on  the  field  to  determine  the 
w’isest  use  of  his  furlough.  It  suggested  that  each  mission 
in  the  field  be  asked  to  create  some  method  of  guiding  the 
studies  and  other  activities  of  each  of  its  junior  missionaries 
during  the  first  term  on  the  field,  so  as  to  enable  a report  to 
be  made  to  the  Board  at  home  in  advance  of  the  first  furlough 
regarding  any  deficiencies  in  training  which  ought  to  be 
remedied,  such  special  abilities  as  were  worthy  of  cultivation, 
and  the  particular  type  of  service  for  which  the  missionary 
seemed  peculiarly  fitted,  and  to  enable  the  mission  on  the 
field  and  the  young  missionary  to  reach  a common  conviction 
concerning  the  plans  which  should,  if  practicable,  be  carried 
out  during  the  first  furlough. 

A mission  committee,  properly  chosen,  tactful  in  its 
methods  and  friendly  in  spirit,  could  be  of  very  great  value, 
not  alone  to  the  junior  missionary,  but  to  older  missionaries, 
assisting  them  to  reach  a conviction  regarding  the  wisest 
possible  plans  for  a prospective  furlough.  It  might  work 
out  a simple  efficiency  test  for  its  own  area  which  would 
enable  a young  missionary  to  measure  his  own  progress  and 
would  give  his  seniors  a basis  of  estimation.  Such  tasks  are 
delicate  but  not  unimportant.  Any  practicable  method, 
however,  of  attaining  the  end  sought  is  to  be  commended. 

2.  Furlough  Administration  at  Home.  — To  give  all  plans 
relating  to  the  use  of  furloughs  their  maximum  efficiency 
each  home  Board  should  provide  definitely  through  some 
kind  of  standing  committee  for  the  systematic  management 


THE  MISSIONARY  FURLOUGH 


21 


of  furlough  arrangements.  Such  a committee,  on  which  the 
corresponding  secretary  or  secretaries  should,  of  course,  be 
amply  represented  because  of  familiarity  with  the  field  and 
the  missionaries,  would  wisely  have  an  executive,  often  the 
secretary  of  the  candidate  department,  responsible  for 
attending  to  the  multifarious  details.  Without  such  an 
executive  furlough  ideals  are  difficult  of  realization.  On 
behalf  of  the  committee  the  executive  secretary  could  take 
an  initiative  with  missionaries  with  furloughs  in  prospect  in 
regard  to  their  wisest  use,  could  carry  on  all  furlough  corre- 
spondence, could  arrange  the  necessary  administrative  details 
relating  to  the  furlough  at  home,  and,  as  far  as  possible, 
reach  these  determinations,  not  only  through  correspondence, 
but  by  an  individual  contact  with  the  missionary  and  a 
friendly  study  of  his  whole  case.  He  could  “follow  through,” 
so  as  to  be  able  to  make  finally  a definite  estimate  of  the 
values  gained  by  the  missionary  during  the  furlough  to  the 
mission  to  which  he  belongs.  With  such  an  executive  behind 
him  the  average  missionary  would  be  spared  much  embar- 
rassment. The  service  needed  is  personal.  Much  wise, 
friendly,  thoughtful  planning  is  required,  if  missionaries, 
the  churches  and  the  Boards  are  each  to  profit  in  the  fullest 
degree  by  each  furlough. 

3.  The  Advisory  Service  of  the  Board  of  Missionary  Prep- 
aration. — Whatever  a group  on  the  field  or  a friendly  and 
able  administrative  committee  at  home  may  conclude 
regarding  the  plans  which  each  missionary  should  carry 
through,  there  will  usually  remain  a number  of  technical 
questions  to  be  solved  regarding  the  best  possible  way  of 
accomplishing  them  under  the  existing  limitations  of  oppor- 
tunity and  previous  experience.  Such  a solution  calls  for  an 
intimate  knowledge  of  actual  conditions  at  educational 
institutions  and  semi-educational  enterprises  which  neither 
the  missionary  nor  his  natural  advisers  may  possess.  He  is 
in  some  danger  of  making  an  inferior  use  of  his  time  and 
opportunity.  The  Board  of  Missionary  Preparation  exists 
in  part  for  the  purpose  of  giving  such  advice  on  consultation, 
either  prior  to  the  return  to  America  or  at  any  stage  of  the 


22 


THE  MISSIONARY  FURLOUGH 


furlough.  The  Board  is  the  efficiency  expert  of  the  Boards 
collectively  on  matters  relating  to  missionary  training,  and 
welcomes  at  any  time  a request  for  information  or  advice. 
Lists  of  educational  institutions  of  various  types,  of  assem- 
blies and  conventions,  of  observational  centers  and  the  like 
cannot  well  be  published  in  a permanent  pamphlet.  Infor- 
mation regarding  such  matters  is  always  available  at  the 
office  of  the  Board  at  general  missionary  headquarters, 
25  Madison  Avenue,  New  York  City,  or  will  be  obtained  at 
request.  A visit  to  these  headquarters,  while  unnecessary, 
will  reward  the  missionary  on  furlough  by  affording  some 
idea  of  the  extent  of  co-operative  responsibility  for  the  mis- 
sionary advances  of  today  and  a glimpse,  at  least,  of  the 
remarkable  Missionary  Research  Library. 

VI.  The  Practical  Management  of  the 
Missionary  Furlough 

The  furlough,  as  suggested  on  pages  8-12,  has  a variety  of 
values  for  the  missionary  himself.  The  realization  of  these 
values  justifies  the  following  suggestions: 

1.  The  Assurance  of  Physical  Well-Being.  — Sound,  vigo- 
rous health  is  a supremely  important  asset  for  any  missionary. 
Many,  indeed,  have  accomphshed  wonders,  although  ignor- 
ing every  hygienic  law  and  possessing  only  fragments  of  a 
real  constitution.  These  are,  of  course,  exceptional  cases. 
The  reUgious  efficiency  of  any  missionary  is  commonly  only 
in  fair  proportion  to  his  physical  vigor. 

One  unvarying  use  of  a furlough  should,  therefore,  be  the 
physical  reinvigoration  of  the  missionary.  This  ought  to 
involve  five  steps  for  which  each  Board  through  its  furlough 
organization  should  make  regular  provision:  (1)  A careful 
medical  appraisal  at  the  very  outset  of  the  furlough  by  a 
competent  diagnostician,  skilled  in  discovering  weaknesses; 
(2)  a course  of  treatment  at  a sanitarium,  if  necessary,  for 
any  weakness  which  such  an  independent  examination 
develops;  (3)  a period  of  genuine  rest  under  conditions 
approved  by  a competent  medical  adviser,  at  the  outset  of 
the  furlough  and  just  before  its  close;  (4)  the  postponement 
of  all  other  objectives  until  the  medical  adviser  is  satisfied 


THE  MISSIONARY  FURLOUGH 


23 


as  regards  the  physical  status  of  the  missionary;  and  (5) 
another  medical  examination,  as  a sort  of  insurance,  just 
before  sailing. 

True  physical  well-being  involves  much  more  than  a bodily 
organism  which  is  able  to  function  normally  and  a sense  of 
restfulness  and  energy.  The  missionary  is  entitled  to  more 
than  a change  of  climate  and  of  the  scene  of  activity;  he 
ought  to  enjoy  himself  with  books  and  music  and  friends. 
He  is  tempted  by  conditions  on  the  field  and  at  home  to  be 
too  intense,  too  fully  absorbed  by  missionary  problems. 
Relaxation  pays.  Some  missionaries  look  back  upon  a 
furlough  as  a sort  of  nightmare,  to  be  forgotten,  if  possible. 
Such  experiences  are  usually  due  to  financial  anxiety;  they 
should  be  practically  impossible. 

2.  Ways  of  Mental  Energizing.  — Of  equal  value  with 
physical  well-being  to  the  missionary  is  mental  alertness. 
Most  missionaries  feel  mentally  impoverished  by  the  con- 
tinual drains  of  active  service,  with  its  meagre  opportunities 
for  study  or  reflection.  They  crave  a mental  freshening  and 
find  it  in  a variety  of  ways.  Some  desire  to  take  a regular 
course  of  study;  others  crave  stirring  companionship;  still 
others  find  their  most  helpful  stimulus  in  contact  with  new 
problems  in  rehgion,  or  in  society.  All  crave  access  to  good 
hbraries,  to  museums,  lectures,  concerts  and  the  like.  A few 
weeks  spent  at  a well-developed  summer  session,  such  as 
that  at  the  University  of  Chicago,  or  at  Harvard,  or  at 
Columbia,  or  at  Chautauqua,  which  aims  to  furnish  for  the 
leaders  of  communities  a strong  cultural  program,  intensively 
handled,  is  of  the  greatest  advantage  to  the  active-minded 
missionary,  who  is  not  following  some  well-defined  course  of 
study.  He  may  come  in  contact  with  a new  world.  Many  of 
his  positions  will  undoubtedly  be  challenged,  but  that  sort 
of  challenge  is  mentally  healthy.  A specific  course,  however 
short,  on  some  neglected  theme  of  study  is  worth  far  more 
than  desultory  attention. 

Much  mental  stimulus  is  derivable  from  an  intimate, 
social  contact  with  the  churches  and  with  their  normal  con- 
stituency. The  missionary  on  furlough  should  set  himself 


24 


THE  MISSIONAEY  FURLOUGH 


the  task  of  convincing  a few  unconventional,  free-speaking 
audiences,  such  as  boys,  working  men,  business  men,  or  old 
friends,  of  the  real  values  of  missionary  work.  He  will  gain 
and  will  give  fresh  viewpoints.  He  will  be  fortunate,  if  he 
comes  in  contact  also  with  minds  which  challenge  his  own 
conclusions,  forcing  him  to  reconsider  and  restate  his 
cherished  ideas. 

3.  The  Obtaining  of  Spiritual  Stimulus.  — Every  true  mis- 
sionary desires  to  be  continually  enriched  in  spiritual  expe- 
rience and  looks  forward  with  eagerness  to  a quickening  of 
his  entire  religious  life  during  a furlough.  This  will  sometimes 
be  achieved  through  good  courses  of  Bible  study  or  of 
theology  and  kindred  subjects  at  a summer  school,  or  through 
courses  of  reading;  more  generally  it  will  be  gained  in  renewed 
participation  in  the  familiar  worship  of  earlier  days,  in  con- 
ference with  like-minded  friends.  Often  a great  spiritual 
uplift  and  outlook  will  come  through  one  of  the  great  annual 
meetings  of  his  Church,  or  in  the  inspiring  fellowship  of  a 
devotional  retreat.  What  Keswick  has  been  to  hosts  of 
British  Christian  workers,  Chautauqua,  Winona,  or  North- 
field  seek  very  definitely  to  become  to  American  leaders. 

4.  The  Acquiring  of  Practical  Experience.  — Nearly  every 
missionary  is  responsible  for  the  inauguration,  or  for  the 
management  of  enterprises  in  regard  to  which  he  has  had 
no  adequate  experience.  He  highly  values  an  opportunity  to 
see  the  same  conditions  when  handled  by  experts.  The 
manager  of  an  industrial  training  school  for  boys  or  girls 
could  gain  much  value  out  of  a brief  sojourn  at  such  a school 
as  Hampton,  studying  the  problems  of  management  as  there 
worked  out.  A missionary  from  a crowded  Oriental  city 
might  profit  greatly  by  a short  term  as  a temporary,  unpaid 
associate  of  the  head  of  a great  institutional  church  plant. 
A missionary  interested  in  the  methods  found  useful  in 
dealing  with  the  wretchedly  poor  would  gain  many  ideas  out 
of  a brief  contact  with  the  work  of  a city  missionary  society, 
if  well  managed,  or  of  a first-rate  welfare  board  or  charity 
organization  society.  A teacher  should  not  fail  to  inspect 
a series  of  schools  of  the  type  for  which  he  is,  or  is  to  be 


THE  MISSIONARY  FURLOUGH 


25 


responsible.  A medical  missionary  needs  to  study  hospitals 
and  to  frequent  clinics.  A mission  Board  can  well  afford  to 
pay  the  small  cost  involved  in  such  inspections.  Obviously 
these  opportunities  cannot  be  Hsted.  The  specific  needs 
are  too  varied  and  individual.  The  Board  of  Missionary 
Preparation  is  ready  to  offer  its  services  in  helping  to  connect 
a real  need  with  its  best  available  solution. 

VII.  The  Contributions  of  the  Missionary  Furlough 
TO  THE  Missionary  Enterprise 

Aside  from  the  benefits  which  accrue  directly  and  per- 
sonally to  the  missionary  during  a furlough,  there  are  other 
values  which  may  mean  much  to  the  cause  of  missions. 

1.  The  Cultivation  of  the  Home  Church.  — At  the  last 
conference  on  the  Missionary  Furlough  a veteran  missionary 
expressed  the  opinion  that  the  first  furlough  should  be 
largely  devoted  to  further  education;  the  second  one,  in 
about  equal  proportions,  to  self-improvement  and  to  the 
cultivation  of  the  churches;  and  the  third  and  later  ones 
rather  fuUy  to  such  service  as  the  missionary  is  able  to 
render  his  Church.  No  exact  scale  can  be  or  should  be  laid 
down;  yet  the  missionary  of  ripe  experience  should  be  eager 
to  find  opportunities  for  meeting  such  ministers  and  churches 
as  are  open  to  him.  No  other  person  can  speak  with  his 
power  or  with  his  assurance.  It  is  unreasonable  that  this 
obfigation  should  be  laid  upon  him  without  regard  to  his 
special  ability,  his  convenience  or  his  plans.  The  proper 
committee  and  executive  of  the  Board  will  be  needed  to  lay 
' out  his  route,  to  secure  openings  for  him  and  serve  as  a 
managing  agency  for  him.  Few  missionaries  can  open  doors 
without  a promoting  agency.  But  given  proper  conditions, 
the  service  such  a missionary  can  render  is  beyond  com- 
putation. 

Not  all  missionaries  are  fitted  for  this  task.  Some  dislike 
it  so  greatly,  because  of  real  or  imagined  unfitness,  that  their 
service  is  of  little  value.  Under  suitable  management  the 
number  of  those  who  are  really  unusable  is  much  reduced. 
Each  Board  can  discover  those  who  truly  stimulate  the 
churches. 


THE  MISSIONARY  FURLOUGH 


26 


//■ 


The  cultivation  of  the  churches  may  be  carried  out  in  a 
great  variety  of  ways:  through  sermons  from  the  pulpit, 
lectures  to  all  kinds  of  clubs,  articles  for  the  press,  books 
interpreting  a field  and  discussions  with  classes  or  at  forums. 
An  active-minded  missionary  can  thus  enlarge  to  a con- 
siderable degree  the  missionary  constituency  of  his  Church 
and  increase  the  respect  and  the  enthusiasm  of  the  regular 
supporters  of  mission  work. 

Such  service  calls  for  careful  preparation  by  the  missionary 
while  still  on  the  field.  He  is  under  moral  obligation  to  make 
his  message  as  interesting  as  possible.  He  should  prepare 
himself  with  great  care  to  give  a constructive  as  well  as 
entertaining  picture  of  the  field  and  its  needs  with  an  appro- 
priate background  of  national  history  and  conditions.  The 
missionary  enterprise  can  be  so  presented  as  to  stir  and 
convince  hard-headed  business  men. 


2.  The  Magnifying  of  the  Cause  of  Missions.  — The 
missionary,  of  all  men,  can  forward  or  check  the  progress  of 
the  mission  cause  in  the  locality  where  he  settles  down  to 
spend  his  furlough.  If  he  shares  the  life  of  the  community 
in  a real  way,  while  being  known  as  a missionary,  he  usually 
wins  its  regard  and  respect.  Whatever  he  does  to  justify 
and  cultivate  this  attitude  of  the  community  not  only  affords 
him  many  natural  opportunities  to  give  a clear  picture  of 
the  problems  of  his  field  and  of  his  relation  to  them,  but 
dignifies  and  establishes  the  appeal  of  the  missionary  enter- 
prise to  many  who  would  otherwise  misconceive  its  value.  ^ 

3.  The  Promotion  of  International  Friendship.  — The 
missionary  has  a third  general  function,  which  increases  in 
importance  with  every  decade  during  which  the  world  is 
growing  smaller.  He  can  do  more  than  most  men  to  inform 
those  with  whom  he  is  in  contact  in  the  homeland  concerning 
the  real  qualities  of  the  people  among  whom  he  has  been 
laboring.  There  are  few  persons  equally  qualified  to  under- 
stand and  to  interpret  that  people  to  his  own  nation.  He  is 
not  merely  their  defender  and  advocate,  but  their  brother 
and  “next  friend.”  The  missionary  knows  that  a people 


THE  MISSIONARY  FURLOUGH 


27 


referred  to  contemptuously  by  many  of  his  countrymen  as 
“Chinks,”  or  “Japs,”  or  by  some  such  slighting  term,  is 
worthy  of  respect ; and  he  can  do  more  than  any  one  else  to 
transmit  that  feeling  of  his  to  his  own  community.  When 
English-speaking  peoples  respect  a nation  of  another  type 
they  have  laid  a basis  for  real  friendship.  The  missionary 
in  years  to  come  may  be  the  most  important  factor  in  the 
promotion  of  genuine  internationalism.  He  is  an  ambassador 
of  Christian  brotherhood.  He  must  do  this  work  through 
voice  and  pen,  as  the  opportunity  comes.  Women  from  the 
foreign  field  have  a special  opportunity  through  women’s 
clubs  which  they  should  not  be  slow  to  grasp,  as  opportunities 
develop.  Whoever  has  a real  message  worth  hearing,  based 
upon  fresh  and  reliable  knowledge,  need  have  no  lack  of 
hearers  in  America  in  these  days.  Such  an  one,  however, 
must  be  reasonably  aggressive,  seeking  opportunity  rather 
than  waiting  for  it. 

4.  The  Wise  Formulation  of  Missionary  Policy.  — Mis- 
sionary statesmanship  is  the  exclusive  product,  neither  of 
the  office  and  the  hbrary,  nor  of  active  service.  It  must 
utilize  ripe  experience  of  many  sorts,  face  actual  situations 
and  be  based  on  data  from  every  source. 

Reference  has  already  been  made  to  the  opportunity, 
valued  highly  by  every  able  missionary,  to  discuss  with  the 
proper  authorities  at  the  home  base  the  Board’s  policy  in 
his  field,  and  to  express  his  own  judgment  with  reference  to 
the  details  of  administration  to  which  he  is  definitely  related. 
Such  conferences  have  a bearing  upon  general  policies. 
There  are  those,  today,  who  would  favor  an  annual  confer- 
ence of  furloughed  and  retired  missionaries,  controlled  in 
large  measure  if  not  wholly  by  them,  as  a means  of  giving 
expression  to  experienced  missionary  opinion  on  questions 
of  missionary  efficiency.  The  Foreign  Missions  Conference 
affords  no  free  forum  of  the  sort.  The  meetings  of  the  Inter- 
national Missionary  Union  offer  the  closest  approach  of 
today  to  such  a conference  and  might  easily  develop  into 
an  annual  gathering  of  great  significance. 


28 


THE  MISSIONAET  FURLOUGH 


VIII.  Conclusion 

It  is  clear  that  the  furlough  is  an  important  section  of  the 
well-organized  missionary  life.  To  neglect  its  opportunities 
is  to  make  a serious  error.  It  should  be  thoughtfully  con- 
sidered by  the  missionary  himself,  by  his  mission  on  the 
field,  by  his  Board  at  home,  and  by  those  with  whom  he 
may  be  associated  during  the  furlough.  It  has  possibihties 
of  value  which  are  only  in  rare  cases  fully  realized. 

It  should,  under  normal  circumstances,  contribute  in 
varying  proportions  to  three  needs  of  the  missionary.  (1) 
To  his  happiness.  It  is  tragic  to  have  a young,  energetic, 
valuable  missionary  write  during  his  eighth  year  of  active 
service,  “One  is  not  so  anxious  to  return  to  America  after 
the  experience  of  the  first  furlough.’’  Each  furlough  should 
be  recalled  with  keen  satisfaction.  (2)  To  his  efficiency. 
At  the  close  of  each  furlough  the  missionary  ought  to  be 
prepared  better  than  ever  before  to  face  with  resourcefuness 
and  confidence  the  growing  responsibilities  of  his  sacred  task. 
(3)  To  his  range  of  thinking.  Each  furlough,  through  contact 
with  broadening  influences,  through  reading  and  through 
observation  and  reflection,  should  accustom  a missionary  to 
think  of  his  work  from  a delocaUzed,  judicial  point  of  view, 
which  will  enable  him  to  balance  his  enthusiasm  by  sound 
judgment. 

Proper  organization  will  help  to  develop  the  best  values  of 
the  furlough,  but  organization  by  itself  is  insufficient.  Every 
missionary  should  be  an  active,  not  a passive,  factor  in  the 
process.  The  furlough  is,  in  an  important  sense,  his  affair; 
it  will  be  a success  or  a failure  in  proportion  as  he  is  wilUng 
to  contribute  thought  and  pains  to  its  success.  With  reason- 
able initiative  on  his  part  the  other  agencies  will  tend  to 
collaborate  successfully. 

When  this  takes  place  the  furlough  will  be  given  its  true 
place  as  an  important  element  in  missionary  efficiency. 


THE  MISSIONARY  FURLOUGH 


29 


APPENDIX  I 

The  Findings  op  the  Conference  on  the  Most  Profitable  Use 
OF  THE  Missionary  Furlough 

A Conference  on  the  Missionary  Furlough,  under  the  auspices  of  the  Board 
of  Missionary  Preparation,  was  held  at  25  Madison  Avenue,  New  York  City, 
on  December  2, 1919.  It  had  a net  attendance  of  one  hundred  and  ten.  Sixty- 
three  were  missionaries,  representing  nineteen  Boards,  fifteen  denominations, 
and  nineteen  missionary  areas.  Twenty-seven  of  these  were  general  mis- 
sionaries, thirty  were  educational  missionaries,  two  were  medical  missionaries, 
three  were  doing  hterary  work  and  thirteen  were  doing  miscellaneous  forms 
of  work  among  women.  Forty-six  delegates  represented  twenty-nine  North 
American  mission  Boards;  sixteen  represented  faculties  interested  in  problems 
of  advanced  missionary  training.  The  China  Continuation  Committee  had 
one  representative,  while  the  Board  of  Missionary  Preparation  furnished 
sixteen.  Thus  the  Conference  was  quite  representative. 

Its  findings  were  as  follows: 

The  Conference  on  the  Most  Profitable  Use  of  the  Missionary  Furlough, 
reco^zing  that  there  is  an  insistent  demand  from  every  mission  field  for 
missionaries  who  are  thoroughly  trained  for  service  and  that  such  thorough 
training  is  a matter  of  careful  individual  adjustment  during  a term  of  years, 
and  believing  it  to  be  of  great  importance  from  the  administrative  point  of 
view  that  careful  attention  be  given  to  a wise  use  of  the  missionary’s  first 
period  on  the  field  and  his  first  furlough  as  a unit  of  preparation  for  full,  per- 
manent service,  makes  the  following  recommendations : 

1.  That  a far  more  systematic  use  of  the  first  missionary  furlough  should 
be  distinctly  reckoned  as  an  essential  part  of  the  training  of  young  missionaries, 
and  that  each  mission  Board  in  North  America  be  urged  to  adopt  a policy 
providing  for  the  use  of  the  first  furlough  as  an  opportunity  for  securing  the 
additional  preparation  which  is  contemplated. 

2.  That  the  duration  of  the  first  term  of  service  on  the  field  should  conse- 
quently be  shortened  to  a maximum  length  of  five  years,  it  being  understood 
that  as  a rule  this  period  will  be  suSicient  for  a thorough  introduction  to  the 
specific  missiona^  area,  to  its  language  requirements  and  to  the  task  to  which 
the  individual  missionary  is  called. 

3.  That  the  first  furlough  should  be  at  least  one  full  year  in  length,  in 
order  that  there  may  be  available  an  adequate  amount  of  time  for  securing  the 
needed  preparation,  either  in  such  study  or  in  the  acquisition  of  such  forms 
of  definite  practical  experience  as  will  equip  the  individual  for  the  task  to 
which  he  is  to  return. 

4.  That,  in  order  to  give  a training  emphasis  to  the  first  furlough,  the  use 
of  the  young  missionary  in  deputation  work  should  be  reduced  to  a minimum. 

5.  That  the  wise  use  of  the  first  furlough  requires  the  co-operative  judgment 
and  action  of  at  least  three  factors  — the  young  missionary,  the  mission  group 
on  the  field  to  which  he  belongs,  and  the  Board  at  home. 

6.  That  each  mission  in  the  field  be  asked  to  create  some  method  of  guiding 
the  studies  and  other  activities  of  each  of  its  junior  missionaries  during  the 
first  term  on  the  field,  so  as  (1)  To  give  each  one  the  benefit  of  the  frequent 
counsel  of  those  of  mature  missionary  experience;  (2)  to  enable  and  encourage 
the  young  missionary  to  find  the  task  for  which  he  is  best  fitted  and  to  avoid 
the  danger  of  his  becoming  involved  in  too  many  differing  phases  of  the  work; 
(3)  to  enable  a report  to  be  made  to  the  Board  at  home,  in  advance  of  the 
first  furlough  of  each  missionary,  regarding  his  competency  for  further  service, 
any  deficiencies  in  training  which  might  be  remedied,  such  special  abilities 
as  are  worthy  of  cultivation  and  the  particular  type  of  service  for  which  he 
seems  peculiarly  fitted;  (4)  to  enable  the  mission  on  the  field  and  the  young 
missionary  to  reach  a common  conviction  concerning  the  specific  plans  which 
should,  if  practicable,  be  carried  out  during  his  first  furlough. 


30 


THE  MISSIONARY  FURLOUGH 


7.  That  each  Board  be  requested  to  provide  within  itself  for  the  systematic 
management  of  furlough  arrangements  through  a standing  committee,  which 
shall  have  charge  of  all  furlough  correspondence  with  missionaries,  receive 
the  preliminary  reports  from  the  field  regarding  them,  act  upon  necessary 
administrative  details,  such  as  the  length  of  furlough  approved,  the  place  of 
residence  during  furlough,  the  special  allowance  required,  the  courses  of  study 
or  practical  experience,  the  institutions  or  organizations  at  which  these  courses 
may  be  pursued,  and  the  non-educational  demands  made  upon  the  missionary’s 
furlough  time,  and,  finally,  make  a full  report  of  the  use  made  of  the  furlough 
to  the  mission  to  which  the  missionary  belongs. 

8.  That  each  Board  be  requested  to  make  financial  provision  for  missionaries 
on  furlough,  based  on  a scale  of  needs  in  America,  and  supplemental  provision 
for  those  unusual  expenditures  involved  in  carrying  out  the  approved  plans. 

9.  That,  when  a missionary  on  furlough  has  fulfilled  in  good  faith  the  plans 
previously  endorsed  by  his  mission  and  by  the  furlough  committee  of  his 
Board,  he  should,  except  in  the  event  of  some  extraordinary  and  unanticipated 
situation  on  the  field,  be  assured  of  being  assigned  to  the  work  for  which  he 
has  been  preparing;  and  that  it  be  suggested  to  mission  Boards  and  to  missions 
on  the  field  that  their  present  rules  be  so  modified  as  to  make  this  possible. 

10.  That  the  North  American  mission  Boards  be  urged  to  encourage  their 
missions  in  the  field  to  make  free  use  of  the  advisory  aid  of  the  Board  of 
Missionary  Preparation  in  planning  for  the  work  which  the  junior  missionary 
is  to  pursue  while  home  on  furlough. 

11.  That  each  mission  in  the  field  and  each  committee  on  furlough  at  the 
home  base  be  urged  to  give  thoughtful  attention  to  all  missionary  furloughs 
so  that  they  may  be  the  means  of  a complete  refreshing  — physical,  intellectual 
and  spiritual. 

12.  That  the  Board  of  Missionary  Preparation  be  requested  to  prepare  a 
fresh  pamphlet  on  the  Missionary  Furlough,  based  upon  its  experience  during 
the  past  few  years  and  upon  results  gleaned  in  connection  with  this  Conference 
and  conferences  in  the  field,  this  pamphlet  to  be  used  for  the  information  and 
guidance  of  missionaries,  missions  in  the  field  and  mission  boards  and  insti- 
tutions. 

13.  That  the  Board  of  Missionary  Preparation  be  requested  to  provide 
for  occasional  conferences  of  those  having  executive  responsibility  in  the 
various  boards  for  the  helpful  use  of  the  missionary  furlough,  that  there  may 
be  abundant  exchange  of  thought  and  experience  on  this  important  matter 
during  the  next  few  years. 

Rev.  Stanley  White,  D.D.,  Chairman,  New  York  City 

Rev.  George  Allchin,  Osaka,  Japan 

Rev.  William  I.  Chamberlain,  Ph.D.,  New  York  City 

Rev.  Paul  Erdman,  Zahleh,  Syria 

Rev.  Courtenay  H.  Fenn,  D.D.,  Peking,  China 

Prof.  Daniel  J.  Fleming,  Ph.D.,  New  York  City 

Rev.  D.  Willard  Lyon,  D.D.,  Shanghai,  China 

Mrs.  Hugo  A.  Muller,  M.D.,  Urumia,  Persia 

Prop.  Clarence  A.  Neff,  Foochow,  China 

Rev.  Cornelius  H.  Patton,  D.D.,  Boston,  Mass. 

Miss  Ellen  J.  Peterson,  Hangchow,  China 
S.  Earl  Taylor,  LL.D.,  New  York  City 
Pres.  Wilbert  W.  White,  Ph.D.,  New  York  City 


THE  MISSIONARY  FURLOUGH 


31 


APPENDIX  II 

Pkactical  Suggestions  for  a Furlough  Calendar 

1.  Second  Year  before  Furlough.  — Apply  thoughtfully  the  suggestions  of 
this  pamphlet  to  your  own  case.  Make  out  a tentative  program  for  the  wisest 
use  of  your  furlough.  Send  a copy  of  this  to  your  Corresponding  Secretary  for 
comment. 

2.  The  Year  before  Furlough.  — Consult  your  fellow  missionaries  and  the 
mission  regarding  your  revised  program.  Let  the  appropriate  secretary  or 
committee  of  your  Board  know  the  resulting  judgment.  Write  home  for 
catalogues  of  the  institutions  you  think  of  attending.  Take  a medical  examina- 
tion on  the  field  for  yourself  and  your  family.  It  may  develop  reasons  for 
altering  your  anticipated  program. 

3.  The  Furlough  Year.  — On  the  way  home  review  and  revise  your  program 
for  the  whole  furlough  year.  Promptly  advise  your  Board  of  arrival  at  home 
destination.  Secure  a thorough  medical  examination  by  a physician  authorized 
by  the  medical  officer  of  your  home  Board.  Consult  with  the  proper  officer 
regarding  final  plans  for  the  whole  furlough.  Take  a period  of  rest,  as  ordered 
by  the  medical  officer.  Let  those  who  would  naturally  wish  to  share  in  your 
furlough  time  know  how  your  plans  will  work  out.  Work  out  your  furlough 
program  as  finally  determined.  Try  to  reserve  another  rest  period  just  before 
returning  to  the  field.  Have  another  thorough  physical  examination  before 
sailing. 


APPENDIX  III 

Suggestions  Regarding  Deputation  Service 

The  missionary  who  desires  to  share  effectively  in  deputation  work  among 
the  churches  while  at  home  may  well  keep  in  mind  three  suggestions: 

1.  An  effective  message  implies  adequate  preparation.  The  time  to  begin 
such  preparation  is  while  on  the  field.  Each  mission  field  stands  in  certain 
important  relations  with  the  rest  of  the  world,  has  pressing  problems,  excites 
general  interest  from  certain  viewpoints.  Every  missionary  should  be  able 
to  represent  his  adopted  country  as  a whole  and  to  give  an  audience  some 
sense  of  its  national  values,  as  well  as  to  represent  his  particular  institution, 
station  or  district.  One  who  speaks  with  conviction  and  authority  out  of  a 
rich  exp>erience,  can  always  command  an  interested  hearing. 

2.  A missionary  message  should  be  distinctly  concrete.  Apt  illustrations 
out  of  personal  or  group  experience  are  universally  valuable,  when  tersely 
and  clearly  stated.  Well-chosen  lantern  slides,  curios  or  costiunes,  and  what- 
ever illustrates  actual  hfe,  help  to  drive  home  the  missionary  message  impres- 
sively. Such  material  is  of  httle  value  unless  carefully  chosen. 

3.  Before  any  audience  the  missionary  may  wisely  try  to  achieve  one  or 
more  of  the  following  specific  aims:  (a)  The  broadening  of  the  rehgious  and 
mental  horizon  of  every  one  of  the  audience.  (6)  The  impression  of  practically 
minded  men  and  women  with  the  concrete  values  of  missionary  service,  (c)  The 
development  of  rehable  supporters  for  mission  work,  those  who  will  get  behind 
it  with  their  money  and  those  who  will  support  it  by  their  intercessory  prayers. 
The  adding  of  those  who  help  to  meet  the  stated  budget  of  the  Board  on  which 
aU  mission  work  depends  is  more  crucial  than  pushing  some  local  or  personal 
need,  (d)  The  kindling  in  some  heart  of  a desire  to  volunteer  for  such  a heroic 
task  as  that  of  the  modern  missionary,  (e)  The  identification  in  the  minds 
of  the  most  spiritually  minded  hearers  of  the  missionary  enterprise  as  an 
inevitable  and  inescapable  part  of  the  spiritual  task  of  the  Church,  depend- 
ent upon  and  contributary  to  the  spiritual  hfe  of  all  those  who  “love  His 
appearing.” 


PUBLICATIONS  OF  THE 

Board  of  Missionary  Preparation 

OF  INTEREST  TO  MISSIONARIES 
ON  THE  FIELD 


The  Board  of  Missionary  Preparation  publishes, 
in  addition  to  the  large  number  of  pamphlets  relating 
to  missionary  preparation  prepared  specifically  for 
missionary  candidates,  two  series  which  are  of  partic- 
ular interest  and  value  to  junior  missionaries. 

THE  PRESENTATION  OF  CHRISTIANITY 
TO  VARIOUS  PEOPLES 

The  Presentation  of  Christianity  in  Confucian  Lands. 
Price  50  cents. 

The  Presentation  of  Christianity  to  Hindus. 

Price  50  cents. 

The  Presentation  of  Christianity  to  Moslems. 

Price  50  cents. 

The  Presentation  of  Christianity  to  Buddhists. 

(Almost  ready.) 

The  Presentation  of  Christianity  to  Primitive  Peoples. 

(/n  course  of  preparation.) 

The  Presentation  of  the  Evangelical  Message  to  Roman 
Peoples. 

THE  PERSONAL  LIFE  OF  THE  MISSIONARY 

The  Spiritual  Life  of  the  Missionary. 

(In  preparation.) 

The  Physical  Life  of  the  Missionary. 

(In  preparation.) 

The  Intellectual  Life  of  the  Missionary. 

(In  preparation.) 

The  Practical  Life  of  the  Missionary. 

(In  preparation.) 

The  Social  Life  of  the  Missionary. 

The  Missionary  in  his  Public  Relations. 


